This information is to show some insight into the lives of our ancestors and the times in which they lived, as well as basic genealogy statistics. It is thought to be true, and any corrections, corroborations, or extra details are solicited. The sources are listed at the end.
ANDREW JACKSON DANN
Andrew Jackson Dann was born 16 April 1845 in Union Township, Tioga County, PA to Philip and Mary Ann Cure Dann. He was child #12 of 13. He married Angeline E. Van Hoesen on 26 September 1865 at Union Township, Tioga Co., PA by the Rev. B. S. Reynolds. Angeline was born 16 January 1848 in Union {Township?}, Tioga Co., PA to Richard V. Van Hoesen and Rachael J. Van Hoesen. Angeline's parents were distant cousins and shared the same last name.
Andrew and Angeline moved from Union Township to Hornby, Steuben County, NY in 1867 and bought approximately 100 acres of virgin land. Andrew was a lumberman and able to obtain a contract with the Corning Glass Company to cut 4 ft cord- wood for their furnaces which burned wood. Later, (1878?) he traded his Hornby property for a farm in the Town of Erwin, Steuben Co. He continued to cut wood.
In September 1884 he purchased a 200-acre farm in Moreland, Town of Dix, Schuyler Co, NY. The 1893-94 Schuyler County Business Directory states that Andrew J. Dann of Moreland has 150 apple trees, 14 Aberdeen Angus cows and a "full blood" Angus bull named "Washington", 6 horses, 6 acres of tobacco. It also mentions that he owns two double houses and lots in Elmira. Note from the explanations page: fact that cow(s) not listed in this directory does not imply that farmer had none. In some towns cows not recorded unless there were more than two.
It appears this farm was rented for many years as it was not sold until the heirs of Andrew's widow sold it in 1943. Andrew's death certificate indicates 24 years as "length of residence in city [Elmira] of death", which would be 1895-1919. Thus appears he lived in Elmira while building houses, between the times spent on farm to cut more lumber, etc. and that he left his son Fred and/or hired men to run the farm.
What we know about the marriage of his daughter Edith (Dec. 1902 in Moreland) and birth of grandson Alpheus Hayes (Dec 1904 in Moreland at grandparent's home), indicates that Angeline and some children lived on farm after 1895 -- through December 1904 at least.
A few years after purchase of this Moreland farm, Andrew began to cut lumber from this property and started building rental houses on Norton, Hall and Gray streets in Elmira, NY, the proceeds of which became income for the rest of his life.
Sometime during 1905-06 the family moved to a house on Lake Street [or Norton Street???] In 1913 they moved to the large house at 454 W. Gray St. in Elmira which became the family homestead. After Andrew's death, his son Richard bought the family home from the estate. Angeline continued to make her home there. This was the house where Richard's children were raised and where he had the office for his medical practice.
Bob Tilden, 2005: Some confusion about Lake of Norton street may lie in the fact that Norton intersects Lake street. I have ben told that some of the houses were sold, some rented. In either case, the "market" was the railworkers in the yards near Norton and Hall Streets.
After Richard's death in 1924, the house was continued as a two-family dwelling and in the 1940s was made into four apartments. The house looked well-maintained and the neighborhood still an excellent place to live, as observed by Richard's son Maurice in 1982.
Andrew's grandson Laurance Dann wrote in his 1971 memoirs of Christmas gatherings: … from years 1906 to 1912 Christmas was spent at Grandpa & Grandma Dann's at Norton St. After that date they moved to West Gray St and we celebrated Christmas there until 1918. Another grandson recalled going to the Dann grandparents' home in Elmira, from their home near Montour Falls, via horse drawn wagons/sleds to celebrate Christmas.
Interesting/amusing comments about Andrew passed on by descendants.
As told by his grandchildren, when the first home in Elmira for the family's use was being built, Angeline asked if it could have an indoor toilet. Andrew had no desire for one, but he yielded to family pressure and allowed installation with the understanding that it would be flushed once a day and he'd do the honor. He was a very frugal and hard-working man.
Placed here for lack of a better location on this site, Jim Dann tells of a little ditty that would be chanted on the Moreland farm... It seems that Richard Van Hoesen Dann hated farming, but had to do his share none the less. His brothers would call out: There goes Dick and Bill with the little red drill - to pop in oats on the old side hill." (Bill was the horse)
A great-grandson recalls hearing that Andrew owned farms, operated by tenants, which he visited, sometimes staying overnight, to check on how well the farm was doing. Did he also want more farms for the lumber? Sometimes on these visits he stayed overnight with his married granddaughter Ida in the Montour Falls area. She was the daughter of Cora, Andrew's oldest child. This great-grandson also mentioned that Andrew liked hard cider -- was this a reason he spent the night?! Ida seemed to be fond of her grandparents because even after she had a very young child, she would drive a horse to town from their their farm, about 3 miles, to take a trolley to Elmira to visit them. Riding the trolley made the child sick so he was left home to stay with a family member.
Andrew died 28 May 1919 in Elmira, Chemung Co., NY due to "cerebral hemorrhage", the same info on death certificate of his daughter Cora. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira. Angeline died 19 October 1922, at the home of her daughter, Cora Dann Hayes, in Montour Falls, Schuyler Co., NY. She was buried beside Andrew in Woodlawn Cemetery on 23 October 1922
Andrew J. and Angeline Dann had 5 children:
Cora Anna, born 7 December 1866, at Union Township, Tioga Co., PA
Fred Orlando, born 26 August 1870, at Hornby, Steuben Co., NY
Edith M. [unable to document middle name], born 17 January 1875, at Hornby, Steuben Co., NY
Richard Van Hoesen, born 8 May 1877, at Hornby, Steuben Co., NY
Alpheus Edgar, born 6 December, 1879, at Town of Erwin, Steuben Co., NY
Documentation/source info and/or Dotte's comments/questions:
Too bad more questions were not asked/or info recorded by my parents' generation while Cora & Fred were still alive! By now do not think there are any more old records in the possession of any living family member.
I believe Angeline's initial of E. is for Edith but so far undocumented. My sister has the original "family records" page for birth and marriages but only an "E" used. Mimi and I concluded Edith is logical because Angeline's dau #2 was named Edith, and dau #1 gave her only dau Edith for middle name. However, it bothered us to have no documentation, thus we have not put a middle name for Angeline in writing.
Info from research at courthouse: Deed & mortgage info -- Sept 30, 1884 entry … "purchase of 3 parcels by Andrew J. Dann of Steuben Co from… The 3 parcels total 187 acres + 20 rods" which = approx 200 acres. " Dec 17, 1886 entry "Mortager Lucy Race ($1300 acknowledge execution of deed".
So far no info re names of tenants/renters of the Moreland farm prior to sale in 1943. I have not seen the 1930 census -- isn't that the one which became available recently? Neither do I have any info re other farms Andrew owned in Schuyler Co.; tho may have been in Chemung Co as his Moreland farm was close to the county border.
Re questionable locations for early 1900 homes. Laurance's notes re Christmas in his early years, "from the years 1906 to 1912 Christmas was spent at Grandpa & Grandma Danns on Norton St. After that they moved to West Gray St and we celebrated there until 1918." But a page of info which I believe was written by Jeri states, "the first house was built on Lake St", then she goes on about the 1st indoor toilet. She also mentioned the toilet in a letter to me in 1995. Don't know if the large library in Elmira has info on 1905-1910 residents. Perhaps they lived at Lake St 1905 and part of 1906??
Laurance mentioned Richard living on Lake St. but Jeri never did. He was married April 1906 and seems to me that a notebook of Jeris's at one reunion told of his practice in PA after married. Perhaps the Lake St property became rental after Andrew & family moved and when Richard returned from WWI he lived there before buying the Gray St house??
Cora's son Clarence, my father, mentioned to us as children that his family used horses to go to the Elmira grandparents' house for Christmas.
Back in late 1800s/early 1900s, it appeared that drinking hard cider was rather common for the men in rural areas. Probably apples were plentiful and hard cider easy to make. However, it appeared that Ida Hayes Wickham and husband were opposed to such is why grandson remembers. Perhaps Andrew was "tipsy" when arrived at Ida's house!
From Bob Tilden, August 2003: I have a brown pottery pitcher which was represented to me as being F.O. Dann's cider pitcher. I was told that there were apples stored in the cellar, and that cider was pressed in batches throughout the storage season. Some was consumed as sweet cider, but I was led to believe that it was really meant for fermenting, and that the pitcher made a trip to the cellar "every" evening.
Except as noted, the source of this information is Dotte Hayes, who states: Part of this info was in the notebooks I had at 2002 reunion. Then I added info Mimi & I found/updated and added/changed some words to this version for clarity. Source of info: Jeris/Maurice's references; Laurance's memoirs; death certificate, cemeteries info, etc. from Mimi; and deeds and other references I found in Schuyler County + conversations w/ my older cousins (children of Andrew's oldest granddaughter Ida Hayes …)
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